Carla Rainer (Exception to the Rule)
Carla Rainer (portrayed by Kim Cattrall) is the main antagonist in the 1997 Direct-to-Video thriller Exception to the Rule. Carla is a ruthless and sadistic thief and schemer who clearly enjoys executing her numerous victims and will stop at nothing to acquire a collection of precious diamonds. Opening / Setup Carla initially attempts to acquire the precious stones in South Africa. Arriving for a meeting with a diamond merchant in Johannesburg, the leather-clad Carla immediately reveals her deadly intentions by removing a silenced pistol. Allowing the paniced man to attempt to flee, Carla shoots him in the shoulder to paralyse him. As he kneels in pain, Carla retrieves a pouch from a table but realises the diamonds are gone (the merchant passed them onto a business associate shortly before Carla's arrival). After cursing in frustration, Carla presses the barrel of her gun to the merchant's head and pulls the trigger (screen cuts to the title credits with no gore shown). Involving Tim Bayer Carla's next target is Tim Bayer (Eric McCormack), a frustrated diamond trader in a troubled marriage with the pregnant Angela (Sean Young). Angela is a sculptress who works with metal, and also the daughter of Tim's boss Larry Kellerman (William Devane). Carla initiates her plan and arranges an 'accidental' meeting by staging a car breakdown in Tim's office parking garage. This leads to Tim taking Carla home, where she undresses in the bathroom and allows Tim to see her naked body (shown from the rear, with Carla played by a body double). Larry sends Tim to San Francisco to acquire the diamonds from Ferguson, a go-between between the South Africa merchant and Tim's firm. Shortly after Tim meets Ferguson, the evil Carla enters his luxury apartment, sneaks up behind him, and injects him with venom before pushing him over the balcony onto the street many stories below. After performing her murderous deed, Carla has another 'accidental' meeting with Tim in a bookstore. This is soon followed by a meal with wine and a passionate one-night stand at her home. A few days later, Tim receives a videotape in the post that Carla secretly made of them having sex (which he just manages to conceal from Angela). Blackmail Scheme While Carla lets Tim sweat over the videotape and the implications, he goes to his psychiatrist Dr. Beeson and co-worker Ron for advice, and also enlists the services of Burt Ramsey - a seedy nightclub owner who moonlights as a private detective - who he asks to look into Carla's activities. Tim is invited to a business meeting over dinner with Angela, Larry and a prospective buyer for the diamonds. When the 'buyer' shows up, it turns out to be Carla who introduces herself as Susan Bradshaw. An awkward conversation follows with Carla pretending to be an innocent third party. The following morning, Carla contacts Tim and demands to meet with him at a secluded industrial site. After taunting Tim about his troubled marriage and sexually fondling him, Carla issues her demand: that Tim bring bring the diamonds within forty-eight hours. While Burt Ramsey pursues leads on Carla, Tim stalls for time. This leads Carla to approach Tim in a parking garage and make further threats of releasing the videotape and ruining Tim's career. Feeling increasingly threatened and cornered, Tim phones Burt Ramsey and asks him to keep looking into Carla. Following Carla to a cliffside, Burt steps out of his car to confront her while sipping a bottle of whiskey. After making conversation, Carla removes her syringe and injects sea snake venom into Burt's neck. While he gasps in paralysis, the sadistic Carla takes his whiskey and pours it over him. She then walks to Burt's car, sets it on fire, and releases the handbrake to set the vehicle rolling toward Burt. The flaming vehicle pushes him over the cliff to his doom. Co-Conspirators The following morning, Tim receives a visit from the police who question him about Burt's death. To force the nervous Tim to co-operate, Carla drives a vehicle at Angela at high speed - with Tim arriving just in time to save her. Carla sets up a rendezvous in a parking lot, during which Tim hands over the diamonds and warns Carla to stay away from Angela. After the meeting Tim follows her to a motel where he sees her talking with a co-conspirator: Dr. Beeson, an associate of Carla who had told Carla about Tim and his weaknesses. Carla discovers she has been double crossed. The 'diamonds' Tim gave Carla are fakes and Tim had already revealed his own and Carla's involvement to both Larry and the police, and worn a wire to the meeting with Carla to record the incriminating conversation. After Carla leaves the motel, a shadowy assailant kills the doctor by drowning him in a bathtub, leaving his body for the police to find. Determined to obtain the diamonds, Carla goes to Tim's house - where Angela is now living alone after separating from Tim following his revelation. The evil Carla plants a live snake in Angela's bed to frighten her, then sneaks up on the terrified woman and holds a gun to Angela's head. Interrupting a phone conversation between Angela and Tim, Carla repeats her demand for Tim to deliver the diamonds, threatening Angela's life if he does not comply. While Tim drives to rescue Angela, she manages a grab a golf club, knocks the gun from Carla's hand and flees. Outside Angela bumps into Ron who volunteers to go into the house. It's then revealed Ron is also Carla's lover and accomplice, and part of her scheme to steal the diamonds - and that he was responsible for murdering Dr. Beeson. Ron roughs himself up to fake a fight and goes outside to meet Angela. His plan to convince her works until she sees a tattoo on Ron's chest - an exact match to one Angela had previously seen on Carla's thigh in the women's restroom during the business dinner meeting. This tips Angela off to Ron's involvement, and she locks him (and Carla) outside her sculpting workshop. Realising Ron has outlived his usefulness and frustrated with his failure, Carla shoots him in the shoulder to paralyse him. She slowly walks over and shoots him in the head, splattering the workshop door with blood. Final Confrontation and Demise Carla breaks into Angela's workshop and pursues her prey in the dark. Holding her pistol, the leather-clad villainess taunts Angela about her marriage. Eventually she tracks her quarry to the upper floor and finds Angela hiding behind a tool cabinet. Carla aims her pistol and demands Angela come out of hiding. This gives Tim - who's just arrived on the scene - the opportunity to sneak up on Carla and knock her to the floor. The disarmed villainess has a brief drag-out fight with Tim before she kicks him in the chest, sending her dazed opponent crashing into furniture. Carla goes for her gun, but is grappled from behind by Angela. After a struggle, Carla elbows Angela in the face and breaks free. Tim recovers just in time to see Carla retrieve her weapon and shoot him in the shoulder. The gloating Carla takes aim at Tim's head and prepares to fire the fatal shot. Angela - having grabbed her blowtorch to use as a weapon - knocks Carla's pistol away and waves the lit flame to force the villainess back. The wounded Tim can only watch as the two women face one another. The blowtorch runs out of fuel, and - sensing victory - Carla smiles sadistically. Undeterred, Angela uses the blowtorch as a makeshift club and hits her tormentor in the face. The blow sends Carla back into a wooden balcony rail which breaks from the impact. Carla falls through the air and onto one of Angela's sculptures - a metal statue with an upward raised hand - resulting in the villainess being impaled through the chest. Trivia Kim Cattrall also played the main villainess Justine De Winter in The Return of the Musketeers. Gallery ETTR1.png|Carla murders the Johannesburg diamond merchant ETTR2.png|Carla prepares to inject Ferguson with snake venom ETTR3.png|The scheming Carla seduces Tim ETTR4.png|Carla poses as Susan Bradshaw ETTR5.png|The blackmailer makes her demands ETTR6.png|Carla injects Burt Ramsey ETTR7.png|Tim meets with Carla to give her the diamonds ETTR8.png|The villainess takes Angela hostage ETTR9.png|Carla murders her accomplice ETTR10.png|The villainess hunts Angela in the workshop ETTR11.png|Carla takes aim at Angela ETTR12.png|Carla prepares to shoot Tim ETTR13.png|Angela holds Carla at bay with a blowtorch ETTR14.png|Carla falls through the balcony ETTR15.png|Carla impaled on the sculpture Category:1990s Category:Betrayer Category:Blackmailer Category:Brunette Category:Corpse Category:Leather Category:Live Action Villainess Category:Murderer Category:Murder: Gun Category:Murder: High Fall Category:Murder: Poison Category:Sadist Category:Woman Kills Villainess Category:Demise: Skewered Category:Fate: Deceased Category:Femme Fatale